Along the Danube, the Balkans & Budapest — Self-Launched

Fly into Bucharest Otopeni (OTP) and take the 780 airport bus or a train into Gara de Nord (~£1.50). From Bucharest's main station take a regional train to Oltenita on the Danube (~2 hrs, £3-5) or, more comfortably, use the frequent minibuses from Bucharest's Vitan area. Oltenita is a sleepy Danube port town with a pleasant riverside promenade. Settle into a guesthouse, eat a cheap Romanian dinner (ciorba soup, mici sausages) and watch the river at sunset — the same view the cruise passengers get on their welcome-cocktail evening.

🚌Bus 780 / train from OTP to Bucharest Gara de Nord (~£1.50); regional train Bucharest-Oltenita (~£4)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Oltenita (£18-25)

• →Riverside walk along the Danube promenade
• →Explore Oltenita town centre
• →Cheap local dinner of ciorba and mici

Travel east to the Black Sea coast by train from Oltenita via Fetesti or directly by minibus to Constanta (~2.5-3 hrs, £6-8). Constanta is Romania's oldest continuously inhabited city — see the Roman Mosaic edifice, the Archaeology Museum with the Glykon statue, the Genoese Lighthouse and the Orthodox Cathedral. Walk the seafront to Mamaia. In the afternoon, do a short self-guided detour to Cernavoda to see the massive Danube-Black Sea Canal and its lock gates (buses run frequently, ~£1.50). Romania is a big wine country — try a tasting at a local wine bar or the Murfatlar wine region wines in a restaurant (glass ~£4).

🚌Minibus/train Oltenita to Constanta (~£7); local buses to Cernavoda (~£3 return)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in Constanta (£18-25)

• →Roman Mosaic and Archaeology Museum, Constanta
• →Genoese Lighthouse and waterfront walk
• →Cernavoda Danube-Black Sea Canal viewing point
• →Local Romanian wine tasting at a wine bar

Take an early train or minibus back towards Bucharest (~2.5 hrs, £7) for a half-day in the capital: the Palace of Parliament exterior (book the interior tour online in advance if you want it, ~£12), Stavropoleos Monastery, the Old Town (Lipscani) and a coffee on Calea Victoriei. In the late afternoon take the train from Bucharest Gara de Nord to Ruse (~3 hrs, £8-10) across the Danube — the bridge crossing is a highlight in itself. Arrive in Ruse, Bulgaria's elegant 'Little Vienna', and check into a guesthouse in the historic centre.

🚌Train Constanta-Bucharest (~£7); train Bucharest-Ruse (~£9)

🛏Guesthouse in central Ruse (£20-28)

• →Palace of Parliament and Old Town Bucharest
• →Stavropoleos Monastery
• →Scenic Danube bridge crossing by train
• →Evening stroll in Ruse's neoclassical centre

Take a morning bus from Ruse to Veliko Tarnovo (~2 hrs, £4-5) — the medieval Bulgarian capital stacked dramatically above the Yantra river. Explore the Tsarevets Fortress (£4 entry), the old craft street of Samovodska Charshia, and the Sarafkina House. In the afternoon hop a local bus up to the hill village of Arbanassi (£1) to see the Church of the Nativity and the Konstantsaliev House with their remarkable frescoes. Lunch at a traditional mehana (tavern) — try shopska salad and kavarma, ~£7. Return to Ruse by bus in the evening.

🚌Bus Ruse-Veliko Tarnovo (~£5); local bus to Arbanassi (~£1); return bus (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse in central Ruse (£20-28)

• →Tsarevets Fortress
• →Samovodska Charshia craft street
• →Arbanassi village and Church of the Nativity
• →Traditional Bulgarian lunch in a mehana

Spend the morning on a self-guided walking tour of Ruse: the Freedom Monument, the Regional History Museum, the Dohodno Zdanie (the ornate theatre building) and the pleasant Borisova Gradina park. Then travel west along the Danube — take a bus or train from Ruse via Vidin/Craiova toward Drobeta-Turnu Severin in Romania (or break the journey: bus to Craiova ~4 hrs £8, then train ~2 hrs £5). Check into a riverside guesthouse in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, the gateway to the Iron Gates gorge, with dinner of fresh Danube fish.

🚌Bus/train Ruse to Craiova (~£8); train Craiova-Drobeta-Turnu Severin (~£5)

🛏Guesthouse or budget hotel, Drobeta-Turnu Severin (£18-25)

• →Self-guided Ruse heritage walk
• →Regional History Museum Ruse
• →Borisova Gradina park
• →Danube-side evening in Drobeta-Turnu Severin

The cruise's scenic highlight, done from the water at a fraction of the price. Book a small-boat excursion from Orsova (25 min west by train/bus, ~£3) — day boats and shared minibus-plus-boat tours run through the Defileul Dunarii, past the giant Decebalus rock sculpture and the Mraconia Monastery, into the Cazane narrows (£15-22 for a half-day boat trip, bookable locally or via GetYourGuide). Alternatively, walk the Cazane cycling/walking trail along the Serbian bank. Return to Orsova or Drobeta-Turnu Severin for the night; dinner with local wine ~£10.

🚌Local train/bus to Orsova (~£3); shared half-day gorge boat trip (~£18)

🛏Guesthouse in Orsova or Drobeta-Turnu Severin (£18-25)

• →Iron Gates (Cazane) boat trip past Decebalus sculpture
• →Mraconia Monastery
• →Danube gorge viewpoint walk

Cross into Serbia: from Drobeta-Turnu Severin take a bus/train to Belgrade (~5-6 hrs via Negotin or Vrsac, £10-14). In Belgrade, walk Kalemegdan Fortress, Kneza Mihaila pedestrian street, Republic Square and the bohemian Skadarlija quarter — a self-guided walking-tour app or free walking tour (tip ~£5) covers it. In the late afternoon take a fast train or bus up to Novi Sad (~1 hr, £5). Evening on Dunavska street with a drink, or bike the Danube banks if you hire a city bike (£5).

🚌Bus/train to Belgrade (~£12); train/bus Belgrade-Novi Sad (~£5)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Novi Sad (£18-25)

• →Kalemegdan Fortress and Skadarlija, Belgrade
• →Free walking tour of Belgrade (tip-based)
• →Fast train to Novi Sad
• →Novi Sad old town evening

Morning trip to the Fruska Gora hills: bus from Novi Sad to Krusedol village (~£2, 40 min) to visit the 16th-century Krusedol Monastery, one of Serbia's most important Orthodox sites, with lovely vineyards around — taste Fruska Gora riesling at a local winery (£5-8). Return to Novi Sad, then travel north into Croatia: bus or train to Osijek via Vinkovci (~3-4 hrs, £10). Osijek's Tvrda fortress district is charming at night, and Croatian craft beer and fish paprikas are the local specialities (~£9). This replaces the cruise's gala dinner with a lively night on the town.

🚌Local bus to Krusedol (~£2); bus/train Novi Sad-Osijek (~£10)

🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Osijek (£18-25)

• →Krusedol Monastery and Fruska Gora wine tasting
• →Self-guided walk of Osijek Tvrda fortress
• →Croatian craft beer bar or traditional restaurant dinner

Morning in Slavonia: cycle or bus out to the Kopački Rit nature park (£4 entry, half-day bike hire ~£8) for wetlands and birdlife, or visit the nearby Mohacs battlefield memorial across in Hungary (bus Osijek-Mohacs ~£3). Then continue by train or bus to Budapest (~4-5 hrs via Pecs or direct buses, £12-16). Arrive in Budapest in the evening — soak in a thermal bath (Szechenyi or Rudas, ~£20), take a night walk along the Danube with the Parliament lit up, and toast the end of the trip with a ruin-bar beer (~£3).

🚌Bus/train to Budapest (~£14); city transport (£3)

🛏Hostel or budget apartment in Budapest (£25-35)

• →Kopacki Rit nature park or Mohacs battlefield
• →Train/bus to Budapest
• →Szechenyi or Rudas thermal baths
• →Ruin bar evening and Danube night walk